by Michael Deleon
KANSAS CITY, MO -- Day 2 of the Triple Crown NIT is filled with some solid challenge matches that ramp up the energy and level of play. We were on hand to cover the match between TAV 16 Black Paul and 1United 16 National Blue.
Anyone who is anyone in the club scene knows what to expect when you have a matchup with a TAV team. They are well-coached and have talent in every position. Not many people know about the 1United squad that burst onto the scene last year in the Open division. They have lots of height, power, and high volleyball IQs throughout their squad also. TAV ran into two super elite squads, Arizona Storm 16 Thunder and Vision 16 Gold, which bested them in their opening pool. That is nothing to be ashamed of because both matches were highly contested and could have gone either way.
They did manage to beat a Tri-State Elite squad very handily to finish out 1-2 and still have a shot to be in contention during the Challenge brackets. 1United, however, was not in the opening Power Pools and had to work their way into the challenge brackets by going undefeated in Pool O and they did so in impressive fashion.
In the Challenge matches, TAV made quick work of their first matchup this morning against Actyve 16-Navy. 1United had a very close battle with OT 16 T JP and came out as the victor in two tightly contested straight sets. TAV was riding on a high and rode that momentous wave as they demolished their next opponent Mintonette Sports m.61 in straight sets (25-16, 25-12). 1United also won their opening match today against a tough Academy 16-1O Yeti (25-20, 25-17). This set up a showdown between the two north Texas neighbors who know each other well.
Both squads came out firing with their elite pins in the opening part of the first set. 1United’s class of 2029 outside hitter Camryn Corso, who is playing up an age group, flexed her muscle as she ripped a kill that deflected off of the TAV block and out of bounds. A couple of unforced errors tied up the score at four each. TAV then flexed some muscles of their own as super middle Nyla Livings smoked a quick attack around a solo block that scored easily. Outside hitter Naomi Livings was amazing on the left side pin as she thundered away for another strong score. Both sisters were unstoppable as they took over this part of the match with some strong blocks at the net also. Add in a powerful right side attack by Brynn Stephens and it forced 1United to call their first timeout at 4-10. Nyla Livings decided to take over the match by unleashing some very athletic slide attacks to different parts of the court that 1United just couldn’t handle.
It seemed that TAV’s offensive arsenal was just too much to try to slow down at this point as they had total control of the match at this point. However, at this level, both of these squads will not go down without a fight and 1United used some great serving to keep TAV out of system. They then employed some scrappy defense and a few well-timed off-speed shots to score and keep the game interesting. Outside hitter Riley Koshkin came alive for 1United and scored a few points against a weak block. She got some help from teammate and lefty opposite Jordan Flodder who rifled away. The tension seemed to get a little heated when a tough referee decision was in question with an attacking error into the antenna/net. But in the end, TAV came out of the first set with the victory 25-21.
During the second set, both teams continued to fire away at each other and it was close again throughout the entire set. For this set, TAV inserted 6-foot-4 outside hitter Allie Hudgins into their lineup and she went to work. This young lady travels all the way from Austin to Dallas in order to train with this squad. Last season she played for Austin Skyline. Once again, powerful and smart net play from Naomi Livings contributed to TAV’s dominance early in this second set and they gained control of the match. Lengthy middle Lyla Crowder showed some fire as she swung for the fences a few times for 1United to keep them in the fight.
But in the end, the beautiful set distribution of Sophee Peterson kept TAV’s offense flowing. She moved the ball around masterfully to all of the amazing attackers that they have on their roster. It was evenly distributed and showed perfect placement for them to tee off. TAV pulled away and ended the match with a 25-22 victory. This squad is showing that they have what it takes to beat anyone as they march toward the Gold bracket. Their weapons are dangerous and it doesn’t matter if someone is having an off match, because the next woman can step up if needed. Stay tuned to see if they can continue to ride this wave of momentum for the remainder of the tourney.
